Chuck vs the White Castle Stuffing, No Pickles
by P.J. Murphy
Summary: Chuck and Sarah are ready to host their first Thanksgiving dinner as a married couple, but complications always seem to follow them.  One-shot holiday story, spoilers through episode 5.3.  Plenty of Charah and fluff.  Happy Thanksgiving!


_Hey everybody. And now we complete the holiday story rotation for the second time. I admit I missed St. Patrick's Day this time around, but hopefully you'll forgive me for that. I will admit it's tough to watch this season of Chuck knowing it will end on January 27th, but I realize like other shows I've liked in the past, this show has characters you not only can relate to, but WANT to relate to. These are people you want to get into adventures with, hang out at the Buy More, maybe save the planet every now and again. Perhaps that's why there are so many great fanfic stories about this show. These are characters people really care about._

_For reference, this takes into account all episodes through 5.3, so there are minor spoilers if you haven't caught any of the Season 5 episodes._

_Anyway, I hope everybody has a good Thanksgiving. Please enjoy and leave reviews. Thanks!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Echo Park<br>November 24, 2011  
>9:30 AM<strong>_

Chuck slowly opened his eyes in the bed. It was a long Wednesday, and it was going to be an even longer Friday, so he wasn't exactly motivated to get up and do actual work today. Keeping the Buy More and Carmichael Industries afloat was becoming more and more difficult. Despite the check they received from General Beckman for the capture of Mats Zorn, a good portion of that money went to a lot of expenses, particularly to Verbanski Corp for their work in capturing him. Still, he was grateful to have Morgan back, and he still considered himself so fortunate to be married to Sarah.

He'd consider himself even more fortunate if she was still in bed with him.

He stretched and took a look at the clock. _God, __she __is __such __an __angel_, he thought. They were supposed to wake up an hour ago and prepare for the Thanksgiving dinner they were having for everyone, but she let him sleep in for a little while. Not that he would have been much help, anyway. He crawled back to the apartment around 2AM after trying to get the Buy More ready for its Black Friday sale. With Large Mart starting their sale at midnight, Chuck had little choice but to follow suit. Fortunately, he was smart enough to have Big Mike do some scouting, so they knew what the Large Mart planned to put on sale. A few discounts here, a few bonus gift cards there, and they had the makings of a potentially record-breaking day. Provided customers actually showed and the place didn't fall under attack or get blown up. Just a few of the hazards for a store used as a cover for a private spy organization.

He went into the bathroom to splash cold water on his face before walking out to the kitchen. Sure enough, Sarah was hopping around like she was on her seventh coffee of the morning preparing the various side dishes and getting the ingredients ready to stuff the turkey. Chuck begged and pleaded for her to use the White Castle stuffing recipe, but his entreaties fell on deaf ears.

"Hey sweetie," Chuck said as he came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and started feasting on her neck.

"Mmmm," Sarah said with a contented sigh before shaking her head clear. "Mmm…no time, no time today, Chuck. We have a lot of work to do."

"Hey," Chuck pouted. "It was your rule that we kiss to start and end each day."

Sarah quickly turned and gave him the fastest kiss on the lips he ever received. "OK, I fulfilled my marital obligation. Back to work. Could you get the large bowls from the top shelf?"

Chuck went to the cupboard and reached to the top shelf to pull down several bowls. He could have sworn Sarah was eyeing him.

"What are you doing?" he turned and asked with a smirk.

"Just feeling jealous at you being able to reach the top shelf without a stepstool."

"Oh," Chuck replied with more than a little disappointment.

"And looking at your cute ass," she added with a wink, which generated a smile from Chuck.

"What did you want me to do with these bowls, sweetie?"

Sarah took two of the bowls and left him with the largest one. "You're on mashed potato detail," she said, pointing at a large pile of potatoes and a peeler. "If those hands can beat Morgan in _Call __of __Duty_ on a regular basis, they should make quick work of those potatoes."

Chuck begrudgingly sat down at the table and started peeling. "Why were you so determined to host Thanksgiving dinner this year? You know how much Ellie loves to have us over for that."

Sarah laughed. "Obviously you two don't talk about how much work is actually involved in preparing Thanksgiving dinner."

"I try to help," Chuck replied in protest. "I always go to the store for her, I set the table, and I'm always the one to clean up afterwards."

"Chuck, do you really believe loading the dishwasher can compare to doing the shopping, washing the turkey, preparing the stuffing, cooking all of the side dishes, and getting all of it ready by the time guests arrive?"

He hung his head. "OK, point taken. But why didn't she ask for more help if she needed it?"

"Sometimes people have to do the work themselves. You get like that sometimes. But I figured since she has Clara now, having me host Thanksgiving dinner would be easier on her."

"Have you ever done this before?"

"Once, as a cover. I was posing as a friend of an asset so I could stay close to her, and she had to invite a bunch of people to Thanksgiving from her husband's office. To be honest, I almost gave myself away."

Chuck's interest was piqued. "How?"

"I did a little too good of a job slicing up the vegetables for one of the side dishes."

Chuck smiled. "Why am I not surprised you almost get yourself in trouble for being too good at something?"

Sarah laughed gently. "Luckily, I told the guests I took a few cooking classes in college and none of them were the wiser. It was a good thing, too, because one of her husband's guests tried to poison her wine. Fortunately, I caught it and apprehended the person without anyone else knowing."

"Awesome work," Chuck replied in a low voice as he came up behind his wife. "That's what I love the most about you. How you can handle any situation no matter what."

Sarah eyed him warily. "No, back to the potatoes. Not my neck, not my..."

She couldn't get out another word other than a lustful sigh as Chuck began kissing her neck in that one spot that drove her up a wall. Her fingers instinctively started running through his hair as she pulled him even closer.

"Dammit, I hate when my body betrays me like that," she moaned as she turned and kissed Chuck hard, pressing her body into his.

_**Echo Park  
>November 24, 2011<br>2:30 PM**_

Sarah exhaled in relief as she checked on the turkey. All was going according to schedule, and everybody would begin arriving in an hour.

"OK, I'm going to get cleaned up and change clothes. Can you set the table, Chuck?"

"Not a problem, sweetie," Chuck replied.

Sarah gave him a kiss as she passed by the dining room on the way to their bedroom. Her mobile phone began to ring. She checked to see Casey's name on the caller ID.

"What's going on, Casey?"

"Afraid I can't make it over there, Walker. They're having some problems with Zorn giving up his contacts, and they called me in. Guess they want this thing shut down quickly," Casey said in his typical gruff attitude.

"This couldn't wait?" Sarah asked as she felt the energy drain from her.

"Sorry. Beckman's got a bug up her ass about this one. She was willing to throw in some extra money on top of what she already gave us. Gotta keep the business afloat, right?"

"You're right. We'll save you a plate."

"Appreciate it. See you later on."

Casey hung up, and Sarah walked into the bathroom. She washed her hands and face of the hard work she put in the kitchen and changed into her best blouse and skirt. She walked back into the dining room area, where Chuck had the same look on his face she did.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked.

"I just got a text from Morgan. I guess he has to stay and help his mother prepare Thanksgiving dinner."

"I thought he said he was joining us."

"He was. But his mother was having a bunch of guests in from out of town and she was still upset with him because he broke up with Alex. Obviously, he can't tell her why he broke up with Alex, so it's kind of dicey over there right now. He thought staying home would help smooth things over a bit."

"Damn. Casey just called. They need his help to get some information out of Zorn."

"On Thanksgiving?"

Sarah shrugged. "The faster they get the info, the faster they can shut his website down. He said Beckman would sweeten the deal if he got there today."

Chuck exhaled. "I wish the business was in a better place so he wouldn't have to do something like that."

Sarah nodded in agreement as the phone rang. She walked over to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Sarah, it's Ellie. I'm so sorry to do this, but both Devon and I got called into the hospital."

"What's going on?"

"Devon left thirty minutes ago because they had a cardiac case he needed to be consulted on. I just got paged for a Code Orange. I guess some homeless shelter was having their Thanksgiving meal, and a bunch of people got sick. Must be salmonella or something, so they called everybody in. I don't know how long we'll be."

"No…no, I understand. Do you want us to watch Clara?"

"They already set something up at the hospital where someone will watch all of the kids. Don't worry about that. Sarah, I am so sorry about this. But hey, at least you have John and Morgan coming, so all that food won't go to waste. I have to go. I'll talk to you if I get a free moment later."

Ellie hung up the phone. Sarah stood there for a moment staring at the receiver. She then slammed it down and sunk into a chair. She started to shake.

"What's wrong?" Chuck asked with considerable worry.

"What's WRONG is that we went through all of this trouble to make this huge feast, and everybody bailed on us!" She bolted out of the chair and slammed her fist into the wall. Tears started coming down her cheeks. "I just wanted this to be…to be…"

Chuck quickly went to Sarah and wrapped his arms around her. Sarah cried quietly as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"I've wanted this all of my life," she sobbed. "I wanted a normal Thanksgiving. No cons, no training, no missions, no pretending to be your girlfriend. I just wanted to have Thanksgiving the way everybody else did. Just eating good food, surrounded by family and friends, watch the parade, watch some football, and now…"

Chuck gave her a gentle kiss and gripped her tightly. "Shhh, it's OK, Sarah. It's OK," he whispered quietly into her ear. "You did a spectacular job. Everything you did was wonderful. And I can't think of anyone I want to spend my Thanksgiving with more than you. We'll make this the Thanksgiving you want. I promise."

Sarah held on to Chuck as her tears gradually subsided. She looked up at him and gazed into his mocha eyes. "I'm sorry that…"

"No," Chuck firmly said as he cradled Sarah's face in his hands and gave her a gentle kiss. "Do not apologize. You have no reason to be sorry. You deserve a great Thanksgiving. After everything that's happened, you've earned the right to be with the people you love."

Chuck took her hand as he went into the kitchen and turned the oven off. "Let's go for a drive. We'll get out of the house for a while, unwind, take in this beautiful weather, and just be with each other. Does that sound good?"

Sarah smiled and pulled his face to her for a kiss. "It sounds great, Chuck."

They headed outside. Sarah started to go toward Chuck's Prius, but he stopped her.

"I said we're taking a drive, Sarah," he said with a big grin.

Sarah looked at him for a moment before handing him the keys to her Lotus. "Not one scratch. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, dear," he replied meekly.

"Oh, stop acting like a whipped husband."

"Who says I'm acting?"

Sarah laughed as she got in the passenger's seat. Chuck got in the driver's seat, and the two took off. Chuck headed west on the 101 to the Pacific Coast Highway. Sarah looked out the window at the beautiful scenery. Chuck took the occasional glance towards her, but he spent most of the time concentrating on adhering to Sarah's strict directive about not getting a scratch on her car.

"Are you feeling better?" Chuck asked her after they had driven a considerable distance in silence.

Sarah nodded. "A little bit. The ocean breeze certainly beats the smog. It's…" she gave a little laugh before continuing. "Remember how we spent the first two and a half years together? We kept getting closer and closer but something would happen or one of us would do something so there was always this little bit of distance we couldn't cross. I thought we were done with that. But sometimes what we're going through now with the new company feels like that. Like we're so close to realizing our dreams but something is in the way."

Her eyes suddenly widened and she looked at Chuck. "Sorry, I'm doing it again," she said as she shook her head. "Funny how it's Thanksgiving but I can't seem to be thankful for what I have."

Chuck smiled. "Baby, you are thankful for what you have. Trust me. I see it every time we look at each other. I know I'm lucky to have found you."

Sarah smiled and leaned over to give him a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Chuck said as he glanced to his right so Sarah could kiss him on the lips, which she happily obliged.

"I have an idea. We just need a reminder of what's waiting for us," Chuck said. "Want to have a look at your future dream house?"

Sarah nodded and smiled. "Love to."

Chuck drove to the nearest exit and reentered the PCH in the opposite direction.

_**Burbank, CA  
>November 24, 2011<br>4:00 PM**_

They arrived at the house Chuck found for Sarah with the red door and the white picket fence. They exited the car and stared in shock.

"Oh no," Chuck said in defeat.

Both of them saw the real estate sign in front of the house with an additional "sold" sign on top of it.

"Oh, God." Chuck leaned against the car and buried his face in his hands. "Sarah, I am so sorry. I wish I could have gotten this house for you. This is exactly what you wanted, and I was too late. I can't believe…"

"Chuck!" Sarah grabbed his wrists and pulled them away. She grabbed his face and looked directly into his eyes. "I don't need to live in this house to be happy. This was just a dream. Most people never get to live their dream. But I'm here with the man I love, the man I married. And as long as we're together, it doesn't matter where we live."

She pulled him to her and kissed him passionately. Her emotions threatened to overtake her from loving the man in her arms.

Their lips separated, and Chuck held her with a determination she could feel. He gazed into her sapphire eyes. "Someday…someday, Sarah…I will get you the house you've always wanted because you deserve to be happy more than anyone else. And I will make sure I make you the happiest woman in the world. I promise."

"I love you, Chuck," Sarah replied as she gently caressed his face.

"I love you, too."

They started to go back to the car. Sarah noticed some mail on the grass the mailman left behind.

"Let me put this in their mailbox," she said as she reached for the mail and opened up the mailbox. She looked inside and frowned. She pulled out what looked like a greeting card envelope.

"This has my name on it," Sarah said in confusion. "No address?"

She opened the envelope and pulled out a small index card. She stared at what was written on it.

_Someday__…__is __Today._

Sarah's eyes widened and she turned slowly towards Chuck. He stood there with a gentle smile on his face…and a key in his hand.

Sarah was having difficulty breathing. "You…you didn't…"

"Well, I have to admit I had some help with this," he said abashedly.

"It's…the house is ours?"

"Technically, in thirty years it will be, but I got a good rate…"

Chuck didn't finish as Sarah leapt into his arms and hugged him tightly, kissing any part of him within reach of her lips.

"I can't believe you did this! You bought the house!"

"I couldn't let your dream house slip away. And after we finally made some money with the new company, I sure as hell wasn't going to let it slip away twice."

"Thank you," she barely choked out as she was overcome with emotion. She took Chuck's face in both hands and kissed him feverishly.

"Um, the turkey's getting cold and I have the X-Box all set up in here," a voice called out.

Both of them turned to see Morgan standing at the door of their house.

Sarah turned back to Chuck in surprise. "And how did you pull this off without Morgan giving you away?"

"The easiest way for Morgan to not spill a secret is to not tell it to him," he replied with a huge grin. "I texted him to go to the house before we got in the car."

Both of them walked to the front door. "But how did he set up the X-Box? And he was cooking a turkey?"

"Chuck!" Ellie's voice called from the kitchen of their new house. "Don't you know it's tradition to carry your wife into your new home?"

"I thought that was the honeymoon."

Sarah laughed. "Chuck, just to avoid a long argument…"

Sarah wrapped her arms around Chuck and leaped into his arms. She kissed him as he carried her into the house…just in time to hear a grunt of disapproval from Casey.

"Ugh, it looks worse than I pictured it," he said in disgust as Chuck put Sarah down gently.

"Hey, ease up before I tell Sarah just how involved you were in getting this house," Chuck said while waving a cautionary finger.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.

Casey growled in frustration and rolled his eyes but did not protest further. Chuck interpreted that as his permission. "He talked to Beckman, and she set up a couple of credit reports in our name that made us…well, very creditworthy. He also helped with the down payment."

"You did?" Sarah said in surprise as she turned to Casey.

Casey shrugged. "I had been saving up so Alex could get her MBA, but it turns out she got a scholarship to the business program at Cal State Long Beach, so I figured you two could use a loan."

Sarah was humbled. "Thank you, John. I…don't know what to…"

Casey waved it off. "The less I hear about your lady feelings on this, the better."

Sarah nodded. "Um…not this time." She grabbed Casey and hugged him tightly, who groaned in annoyance as a result.

"Come on, everybody," Devon said as he put the last of the plates and silverware around the table. "Time to dig in on this feast Sarah cooked up."

"That I cooked up?" Sarah said in confusion.

Chuck grinned. "Another one of the things I love about you the most; your determination to stick to a schedule. It wasn't exactly a coincidence everybody cancelled one hour before they were scheduled to arrive. It was just enough time for Ellie and Devon to gather up your delicious dinner and bring it here."

Sarah took a look around at the furniture already in the house. "Is all of this your doing, too?" she asked Ellie and Devon.

"Well, we knew you'd need a nice housewarming gift," Ellie replied. "For all that you've meant to our family these last four years, this was the least we could do."

Sarah gave Ellie a hug tight enough to put Ellie's own bear hugs to shame. "Thank you for letting me be a part of your family. I'm so lucky."

Everybody took seats around the table as Devon began to carve the turkey. Chuck raised his glass.

"To all of you for helping make this day possible. And to the woman who deserved to have the Thanksgiving she always wanted. My best friend, my love, my wife, Sarah."

Everybody raised their glass towards Sarah, who smiled as she held back a few tears. Everybody clinked their glasses together, and the food started to make its way around the table.

"And Ellie, thank you so much for the stuffing," Chuck said with a smile.

"A friend at the hospital had plenty of it, so she was happy to give some to you."

"What stuffing?" Sarah asked.

"The White Castle stuffing recipe," Chuck beamed. "I'll have some of yours too, sweetie, but I've always wanted to try this! The bun, that special hamburger, the onions, the pickles…"

"Chuck, there aren't any pickles in the White Castle stuffing recipe," Ellie interrupted.

"What? Yes they are! They have pickles on White Castle hamburgers!"

"The recipe says to remove them before you cut up the burgers and stuff them in the turkey. Who would want to eat pickles that were cooked at 250 degrees?"

"They would be awesome!"

"Uh, no Chuck. They wouldn't. Believe me."

"OK," Sarah replied as she eyed her husband warily. "Now I know why Ellie did all of the cooking."

Everybody settled down to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.


End file.
